Finding Aid to The HistoryMakers ® Video Oral History with Glenn Tunstull Overview of the Collection Repository: The HistoryMakers®1900 S. Michigan Avenue Chicago, Illinois 60616 [email protected] www.thehistorymakers.com Creator: Tunstull, Glenn Title: The HistoryMakers® Video Oral History Interview with Glenn Tunstull, Dates: September 13, 2007 Bulk Dates: 2007 Physical 7 Betacame SP videocasettes (3:17:18). Description: Abstract: Fashion illustrator and painter Glenn Tunstull (1950 - ) was an illustrator for Vogue, Women's Wear Daily, Marie Claire and Votre Meaute, and exhibited his landscape paintings worldwide. Tunstull was interviewed by The HistoryMakers® on September 13, 2007, in New York, New York. This collection is comprised of the original video footage of the interview. Identification: A2007_261 Language: The interview and records are in English. Biographical Note by The HistoryMakers® Glenn Tunstull was born one of four children on July 29, 1950 in Flushing, New York. Tunstull developed a passion for art at an early age, after witnessing his Uncle Leroy sketching a portrait of his parents. Tunstull’s family moved across the country when he was young, from New York to Louisville, Kentucky finally settling in Detroit, Michigan, where Tunstull attended Cass Technical High School and graduated in 1968 with a concentration in commercial art. Tunstull won a scholarship to Parsons, the New School of Design. He attended the school for two years before working for various pattern companies. By 1970, Tunstull was illustrating for Vogue magazine and was hired as the first African American illustrator at Women’s Wear Daily. Having built a name in the industry, Tunstull augmented his day work with freelance projects for major designers and department stores. In 1975, at the age of twenty-five, Tunstull moved to Morocco and shortly thereafter, to Europe, where he worked in Paris and Milan. While working abroad Tunstull created fashion illustrations for the Hermes and Kenzo design houses and for fashion publications that included Marie Claire and Votre Beauté. Tunstull himself was featured in Italian Vogue for his work with WWD and Silvano Malto; he returned to the United States in 1977. In 1979, Tunstull returned to New York City and began working for a variety of publications, including GQ magazine and The New York Times. In the 1990s, Tunstull began teaching fashion art at the Fashion Institute of Technology, and model drawing classes at his alma mater, the Parson’s School of Design. In 1994, Tunstull served as the keynote speaker at the Society of Illustrators Museum for the Best of Fashion and Beauty Illustration Exhibition. In 1996, Tunstull shifted his career focus to watercolor landscapes depicting scenes inspired by his travels, particularly trips to Brazil, Jamaica, Australia, and Martha’s Vineyard, where he hosted an annual showing of his artwork. In 1997, Tunstull illustrated Kai: A Big Decision, a children’s book by Sharon Shavers Gayle. In 2000, Tunstull again made a shift in his artistic approach, continuing to work in landscapes but using oil paints, expanding his ability to portray different moods. Scope and Content This life oral history interview with Glenn Tunstull was conducted by Adrienne Jones on September 13, 2007, in New York, New York, and was recorded on 7 Betacame SP videocasettes. Fashion illustrator and painter Glenn Tunstull (1950 - ) was an illustrator for Vogue, Women's Wear Daily, Marie Claire and Votre Meaute, and exhibited his landscape paintings worldwide. Restrictions Restrictions on Access Restrictions may be applied on a case-by-case basis at the discretion of The HistoryMakers®. Restrictions on Use All use of materials and use credits must be pre-approved by The HistoryMakers®. Appropriate credit must be given. Copyright is held by The HistoryMakers®. Related Material Information about the administrative functions involved in scheduling, researching, and producing the interview, as well as correspondence with the interview subject is stored electronically both on The HistoryMakers® server and in two databases maintained by The HistoryMakers®, though this information is not included in this finding aid. Controlled Access Terms This interview collection is indexed under the following controlled access subject terms. Persons: Tunstull, Glenn Jones, Adrienne (Interviewer) Burghelea, Neculai (Videographer) Subjects: African Americans--Interviews Tunstull, Glenn--Interviews African American fashion designers--Interviews African American painters--Interviews Organizations: HistoryMakers® (Video oral history collection) The HistoryMakers® African American Video Oral History Collection Occupations: Fashion Illustrator Painter HistoryMakers® Category: ArtMakers Administrative Information Custodial History Interview footage was recorded by The HistoryMakers®. All rights to the interview have been transferred to The HistoryMakers® by the interview subject through a signed interview release form. Signed interview release forms have been deposited with Jenner & Block, LLP, Chicago. Preferred Citation The HistoryMakers® Video Oral History Interview with Glenn Tunstull, September 13, 2007. The HistoryMakers® African American Video Oral History Collection, 1900 S. Michigan Avenue, Chicago, Illinois. Processing Information This interview collection was processed and encoded on 2/5/2020 by The This interview collection was processed and encoded on 2/5/2020 by The HistoryMakers® staff. The finding aid was created adhering to the following standards: DACS, AACR2, and the Oral History Cataloging Manual (Matters 1995). Other Finding Aid A Microsoft Access contact database and a FileMaker Pro tracking database, both maintained by The HistoryMakers®, keep track of the administrative functions involved in scheduling, researching, and producing the interview. Detailed Description of the Collection Series I: Original Interview Footage Video Oral History Interview with Glenn Tunstull, Section A2007_261_001_001, TRT: 0:29:20 2007/09/13 Glenn Tunstull was born on July 29, 1950 in Queens, New York to Mary Shockency Tunstull and Edward Tunstull. His maternal grandparents, Bessie Shockency and William Shockency, were farmers in Loretto, Kentucky, where his mother was born. She was raised as Catholic, and had ten siblings. His father, who came from a family of ministers in Tennessee, served in the U.S. Navy in Louisville, Kentucky. He met Tunstull’s mother there; and, according to the family lore, absconded without leave in order to be with her. Tunstull’s parents relocated to New York City, and then joined his father’s relatives in Detroit, Michigan. There, his father worked as a machinist for the Ford Motor Company, and ran a gambling operation with Tunstull’s mother and paternal uncle. Tunstull describes his parents’ taste in clothing, including his mother’s fur stoles and his father’s stylish jewelry. He also remembers the influence of the Motown musical scene and Detroit’s automotive industry during the 1960s. African American fashion designers--Interviews. African American painters--Interviews. Video Oral History Interview with Glenn Tunstull, Section A2007_261_001_002, TRT: 0:30:33 2007/09/13 Glenn Tunstull moved with his family from New York City to Detroit, Michigan when he was a child. In Detroit, his parents ran a gambling operation, and taught him to play card games like poker, blackjack and whist. He briefly attended a school in Louisville, Kentucky, and then continued his education at Winterhalter Elementary School and Boynton Elementary-Middle School in Detroit. Tunstull was interested in drawing from an early age, and often sketched women and architecture. At the majority white Cass Technical High School in Detroit, he aspired to a career as a fashion illustrator, and learned techniques for drawing materials like alligator skin from his design teacher, Ms. Olbo. Although Tunstull’s guidance counselor discouraged him from applying to prestigious art schools, he was awarded a scholarship to the Parsons School of Design in New York City. Tunstull also remembers the wariness of his parents’ generation in response to the Civil Rights Movement. Video Oral History Interview with Glenn Tunstull, Section A2007_261_001_003, TRT: 0:30:18 2007/09/13 Glenn Tunstull developed his fashion sense while a student at Cass Technical High School in Detroit, Michigan. Upon graduating, he was offered a scholarship to the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City, but was unable to attend after a car accident. He was later admitted to New York City’s Parsons School of Design with full funding. Tunstull matriculated in 1969, and studied fashion illustration under the tutelage of professors like Albert Elia and Murray Tinkelman. At the time, wealthy white women dominated the student body; and, after completing two year of study, Tunstull left school to enter the pattern business. He initially worked at the Simplicity Pattern Company, Inc., where he was pressured to conform to the style of other illustrators. He then obtained a position as a colorist at Vogue Patterns, where he was influenced by illustrator Elaine Poprosky. Tunstull also remembers the fashion industry professionals of the 1960s and 1970s, including model Naomi Sims. Video Oral History Interview with Glenn Tunstull, Section A2007_261_001_004, TRT: 0:29:43 2007/09/13 Glenn Tunstull worked for two years as a colorist at Vogue Patterns, which marketed to both consumers and industry Glenn Tunstull worked for two years as a colorist at Vogue Patterns, which